Shade
by Clare-ity
Summary: Forget the last book-Angel-because we all know how far downhill this series has gone.  Meet Shade, and hopefully a half-decent story.


My sore eyes opened, and I tried to rub some of the crust away. I must have been crying all night, and I hated myself for it; Fang had left a week ago, and I still refused to get out of bed. I mean, come on Max! That jerk wasn't coming back. Who frickin' cares?

Ha. Me.

I groaned as I pushed myself off the bed_. It doesn't matter how upset you are,_ I thought. _Get a grip! You have five bird-kids counting on you for love and support. NOW BE LOVING AND SUPPORTIVE!_

I sighed and walked into the living room. Today we were going to do stuff. We didn't need Fang! God, we would forget all about-

"WHAT THE HELL?" I screamed.

Instantly, my flock-members-Iggy, Dylan, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel-scrambled out of their rooms. "Oh my God, Max. What? What is it?"

But it wasn't an _it._ It was a _she._

There was a girl _sitting on our couch._ Tall, skinny, probably about fourteen. Peachy skin covered in dirt, dark hair and eyes, kind of pretty in a wild way-who was she?

AND HOW DID SHE GET IN OUR HOUSE?

The corner of her mouth twitched in amusement as she observed the scene she had created. "Nice place. You're Max, right?"

"How do you know my name?" I asked through clenched teeth. I tightened my fists and saw that the rest of the flock had done the same. Well, all except Dylan. But he's kind of a mild one anyway.

The girl sighed. "Don't let this get to your head or anything, but you're kind of a big deal, Max."

I raised my eyebrow. Flattery will get you nowhere, sweetie. "Who are you, and how did you find us?"

"Shade." She stuck out her hand with a cocky smile, and dropped it with an eye-roll when I didn't accept. "Well, it used to be Sally. But, seriously, how was I supposed to go through life with a name like that? _No one_ would be afraid of a kid named Sally."

"How did you find us?" I asked again, a bit more menacingly. She pulled a small device out of her leather jacket.

"I followed the GPS tracker implanted in Dylan's brain."

Huh. Why doesn't that surprise me? I opened my mouth, but Dylan cut me off. "Look Max, I'm sorry. I should have told you that this might happen sooner." He ran his hand through his perfect blond hair. "Shade's my sister."

"Wha-! Uh, ah, er…huh?" I stuttered. My eyes snapped back and forth between them. Same shaped nose, high cheekbones, full lips…I could see a resemblance.

Didn't mean I believed it.

"But wait," Nudge piped up, "I thought you said you were a clone, Dylan. How could you have a sister?"

Thank God nothing ever gets by Nudge.

"He's not my brother," Shade muttered, sounding pretty pissed. "He was _cloned_ from my brother."

Dylan's expressive eyes saddened. "Shade, I'm still the same. I still remember everything."

"Do you remember the stupid car crash that got us into this mess? That killed mom?" she shook her head disgustedly. "And anyway, my _real_ brother wouldn't have abandoned me for Dr. Hans Gunther-Hagen."

"You _know _him?" I gasped. I was ignored.

"I'm sorry, I really am." Funny, he actually _did_ sound sorry. "But what could I do?"

She scoffed. "Gee, I don't know…_escape?"_

"I couldn't do that."

Shade shook her head slowly. "Yeah, you couldn't. You're just a coward with no balls."

Iggy snorted. I had to admit, I kind of liked this girl. Not in a huggy, friendly, oh-sure-you-can-break-into-my-house-whenever-you-want kind of way, but she had guts. I'll give her that. "Um, did you stalk us all out just to yell at Dylan?"

Her expression shifted, and she looked caught. Dylan sighed. "She's looking for Fang."

"Wha-"

"I need to find him," she said sharply. "He's my brother."

I froze, and tried to speak. Nothing happened. Finally, I choked out, "But you just said _Dylan_ was your brother."

"I am," he said quietly, "But I'm also Fang's twin."

And the world went black around me.

_AN:_

_So, what do you think? Seriously, honest feedback here. This is just kind of an experiment-thing, and I want some opinions…do you want me to continue? REVIEW PLEASE!_


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